Friday, February 8, 2013

African Flower Square Tutorial

Please respect my rights as designer: do not sell, share, translate, or publish any parts of my patterns (including pictures) online or elsewhere without my permission. Do not claim this pattern as your own. Feel free to sell the finished items you’ve made from my pattern! If you do, a link-back to my blog www.made-in-k-town.blogspot.de would be great. Thank you!

Material:

For my square I used small amounts of Rico Essentials Cotton DK and a 3.5mm hook. My square measures 11.5 cm (4.5") but the size will vary depending on the yarn and hook you use.

Some general notes:

For this pattern I use US crochet terms. We’ll need the following stitches: chain stitch (ch), slip stitch (sl st), single crochet (sc), half double crochet (hdc), double crochet (dc), treble (tr), and spike single crochet (or "long" sc). The spike sc's are explained below, please use the pictures as a help, too.

I did NOT write down the chains at the beginning of each round: for the first stitch in every round, work chains (e.g. 3 chains for the first dc) OR start with a “standing stitch” i.e. join the new color with a slip knot or a simple loop ON YOUR HOOK and just work the first sc or dc as usual. Join rounds with a sl st.

1st Round: start with a magic ring and work *2dc, ch-1* eight times inside the ring (8 dc-2 groups, 16 dc's). (Tip: Alternatively you can work dc-2-togs instead of the dc-2 groups)

2nd Round: with a new color work *3dc, ch-1* in each ch1-space around (8x3 dc's)

3rd Round: with a new color work *2dc, ch-2, 2dc* in every ch1-space (8 shells)

4th Round: work 7 dc's in every ch2-space around. (56 dc's, no ch-spaces!) (Tip: I like this motif best, when the 3rd and 4th round are worked in the same color)

5th Round: with a new color work sc's in every dc around, with spike-sc's between the shells of the 3rd round. (For the spike-sc (or "long" sc), insert your hook into the little space between the shells of round 3, pull up a loop to the height of your current working round, yarn over and pull through the two loops on your hook.)

In the 6th Round we have to square the flower: join your new color with a standing hdc (or ch-2) in any spike-sc. Then work *sc's into the next 4 sc's, 1 hdc into the next sc, dc's into the next 2 sc's, (1tr, ch-3, 1tr) into the next spike-sc, dc's into the next 2 sc's, 1 hdc into the next sc, sc's into the next 4 sc's, 1 hdc into the next spike-sc* and repeat around (omitting the last hdc) until the end of the round.

7th Round: work dc's in every stitch around, with *2dc, ch-2, 2dc* in the corner-spaces of the previous round. Fasten off, weave in the ends, and you're done!!

If you've got any questions, or find errors in this pattern, please let me know!

I'd also like to see your finished African Flower Squares or projects made with them, so feel free to leave a comment with a link to your blog or flickr picture :)

Thank you for this! I've crocheted 96 hexagons in shades of pink and red, and suddenly realised that I shod have kneed as I was going. This pattern means I can now turn the hexagons into squares and make a blanket for my 5 year old that looks like a garden bed :)

Thank you so much for sharing this pattern. I have just completed it in blues and white and am very pleased with it. I shall put a picture of it, with a link to your blog, on facebook tomorrow. Thank you :)

Aww! I love it! Growing up I used to make them a lot with my older sisters and cousins. Seeing it made me want to make it again. I wanted to try as close as yours, may be:-) Thank you for sharing. New follower!

HiI made the Granny Somalia and my own version: Junio 2012: Spanish and Englishhttp://knittingandcrocheting-club.blogspot.com.es/2012/06/african-flower-granny-somalia-granny.htmlGreetings GREAT BLOG Congratulations

Thank you so much for this tutorial. I have seen this square before, but other instructions made no sense. I whipped this one up in a breeze with your tutorial, and love the way it looks. I am on my way to a lovely afghan thanks to you. Bless you.

Hello!First of all, thank you for a wonderful pattern, is currently crocheting a bedspread from these boxes to my daughter.

I wonder if it is possible for me to translate your designs into Swedish and share with my blog readers? Have many readers who are really eager to crochet for your pattern but can not read English descriptions. Obviously, I will link to you and your pattern and give you credit for the work!

Dear Barbara, I am using this as part of my Crochet Mood Blanket 2014, I have written up a quick post on my blog about it. Would love more of the crochet community to join :) www.theartofeman.blogspot.com

Thanks for this great pattern. I use ist for the moodblanket2014 and all people who sees my squares ask me for the pattern. I always give your link and I think there will be many blankets at the end of the year with "your" africanflower.

I live this pattern. Thank you so much for sharing it. I would live to make one for my daughter as a wedding present. What colors and type if yarn did you use and how many skeins would you recommend for a large afghan? I am in LOVE with all the possibilities. Thanks again.

Thank you so much for posting the instructions/tutorial. I have recently started crocheting again and this help is so appreciated. THANK YOU and it turned out so pretty - my new obsession.......and so inspiring! :)

Hello! I have made a blog post about your fantastic pattern here: http://www.multimodis.no/yarn-paper-african-flower-square-blanket/ I hope I haven't violated your rights in any way, if so, please tell me :) I am in love with the pattern and will make a rainbow version soon :) http://www.multimodis.no/yarn-paper-african-flower-square-blanket/

Hello! I have a question for you. Love these squares. However, I see that the flower part is an 8-sided design. I made a throw using African flower motifs in a 6-sided design and want to make a pillow to match. Will the part of your pattern that starts making the square still work with a 6-sided flower? Any mods I need to do would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. :) ~ Linda

I used your pattern to make a blanket for my 6 month old daughter and she loves it! Here's a picture of the finished blanket and one of her enjoying it. :) thank you!!http://flic.kr/p/qJifuqhttp://flic.kr/p/qJcSAe

Thanks for your clear tutorial. Your blog says 'made-in-k-town'. Would that be Knoville, TN? We referred to Knoxville as 'K-town'. Just curious. Lived in Oak Ridge then moved north of K-town. I live in Montana now. Thanks Linda 'KnickerKnacker'

Thanks for your clear tutorial. Your blog says 'made-in-k-town'. Would that be Knoville, TN? We referred to Knoxville as 'K-town'. Just curious. Lived in Oak Ridge then moved north of K-town. I live in Montana now. Thanks Linda 'KnickerKnacker'

Okay, if I have to make a granny square anything, I am going to make this one. And I want a kaleidoscope of colors. I get bored using the same x amount of colors. Happy dance - I'll do it myyyyyyy wayyyyyyy!

Thank you very much for the pattern! I started making it but I would love it if you had the starting stiches of each round as well, so that I'm not going back and forth to other sites to see how many stiches are needed. I'm still a beginner :)

yes, I would love to know as well!! that picture on Pinterest of the blanket is what brought me to the square tutorial. Love how lacy and granny-squarey this flower looks, compared to some of the tighter made flowers. soo pretty :)

Thank you so much for the pattern, I've been wanting an African flower square rather than a hexagon, but was too lazy to sit down and figure out how to square it off. love hexagons, but the squares are so much nicer to join together, when you just want to do it all at the end in one big strip. thank you!!! What a great, clear tutorial. you're a good teacher :) planning to make a bedspread, will let you know how it turns out <3

Hi Doree, thanks for your comment!I've never really made a whole afghan with these squares (I made them for a project where several bloggers made one huge blanket of different squares). Maybe you should check the pattern page on Ravelry and go to the project gallery - lots of users have made whole afghans with this pattern and I'm sure they can help!

Hi Michelle, I've never made a whole blanket with these squares, so I can't help you with the edging - but if you visit the pattern page on Ravelry, there are a lots of finished projects with beautiful edgings, so maybe you can find inspiration there!

Thank you so much for this lovely pattern! I have a question for you . . . maybe someone else has already asked it, but if so I didn't spot it. I have made two blocks so far, and they aren't coming out very square. How many double crochet should there be in each side in the final round? (Or total would work, too!) I wonder if somehow I'm coming out with too many, because the sides are a bit wavy. Thank you!